


all part of the show

by jasminetea



Category: Original Work
Genre: Banter, Chocolate Box Exchange, Chocolate Box Exchange 2019, Flirting, Kidnappings as dates, LGBTQ Character of Color, Light identity porn, Light romcom elements, M/M, Male Character of Color, Nontraditional Superheroes & Supervillains, Not So Distant Future, POV Character of Color, Pre-Relationship, San Francisco, Who needs words when you have food?, Worldbuilding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-15
Updated: 2019-02-15
Packaged: 2019-10-23 20:07:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,689
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17690060
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jasminetea/pseuds/jasminetea
Summary: When Kirin moved to San Francisco to join the SuperHero Federation, he did not anticipate being kidnapped multiple times by Yellow Peril.  Especially while sightseeing as a civilian.





	all part of the show

**Author's Note:**

  * For [morning_coffee](https://archiveofourown.org/users/morning_coffee/gifts).



> With thanks to Ashling for beta'ing.

“We’ve got to stop meeting like this,” Yellow Peril murmured.

Kirin was crouched low under YP’s (as everyone liked to call him) shoulder, the two of them huddled beneath a table on its side. Whatever they made costumes out of had to be worth its weight, because they showed no sweat stains and it certainly didn’t _smell_ like YP’d been performing acrobatics for the last half hour.

“Are you following me?” Kirin groused. It was, after all, the third time he’d been “kidnapped” by YP as part of the show.

“Nope!” YP replied cheerfully. “Not my fault you keep going to all the tourist traps. Are you new to town?”

Indeed, Kirin was new to San Francisco. He’d moved from Fresno to pursue working in the big leagues in the Super industry. The strange brew of live-broadcasting, entertainment wrestling, and reality TV pitting Superheroes against Supervillains had risen in popularity the past decade.

The SuperHero Federation and the League of Villains were the top companies in the US. And their pay and benefits were excellent. More importantly, Kirin could send his parents money to help pay for his siblings’ college education. Kirin had made it through with a series of scholarships, but he didn’t want his younger brother and sister’s education to be left up to fate. He’d told his family he was doing administrative work for the SHF, since he didn't want them worrying about him, even though Supering was a perfectly safe job.

He hadn’t warranted a major debut with the SHF. Few people did anyway. So he’d only appeared as a sidekick in a couple of matches against the League and wasn’t even a regular yet. It left him with plenty of free time, so he’d taken to exploring the city. Today’s adventure had been the City Lights bookstore. He’d thought he could avoid being swept off his feet by YP again since it wasn’t as famous as Coit Tower or Lombard Street, but here he was again.

“I’m trying to make the most of my time here,” Kirin said instead.

“Have you taken Muni to Chinatown yet?”

Kirin shook his head. He’d been told it was a tourist trap and that there was better Chinese food to be found elsewhere, like the Sunset District.

“They do great tours on the history, especially given the renovation occurring there.”

“You mean the gentrification?” The tech industry continued to spread.  The people it displaced were among the first to watch the Supers duke it out and demolish the old tech properties, even if the companies were compensated for it. It was also why his parents were struggling so much. When CalTrain had rolled out their new routes, the influx of commuters brought up housing prices in Fresno too, and then everything got more expensive.

“Ah, yes, wasn’t sure how you felt about buzzwords like that, newbie.”

YP peeked over the table despite Cougar Might lobbing desks at them.

Since Kirin kept being in tight quarters with him, he might as well get to know the villain. So Kirin ventured, “I guess I shouldn’t be surprised given your name.”

“Oh! You’re familiar with it?” YP spared a quick glance back at Kirin.

“My high school had ethnic studies.”

“Oh, that’s rad, man. Some schools have it here, but mine didn’t.  I’m hoping the court will change that though. It’s nice to see someone knows the history behind the name!”

In a stroke of fashion mercy, Yellow Peril was not dressed in a yellow bodysuit like Bruce Lee in  _ Game of Death _ . Rather, it was black with yellow piping and a cape that somehow managed the miracle of not making him look like a bee.

“I’m surprised you’re not paired with someone named Black Panther.”

“Nah, man, Marvel’s still got that shit on lockdown, even _after_ the Fed and League tried to buy it off them. Not to mention making him a villain would just be _bad_. So they gave me a panther mask instead!”

Cougar threw another desk, this time landing just shy of Kirin’s shoulder.

YP pulled him closer, and it was a good feeling. He was solidly built, and he smelled nice, like clothes fresh from the dryer. (No way the League had machine-washable uniforms; the Fed issued stuff was dry clean only, and they were adamant you not even _try_ spot-cleaning it.)

“And,” YP continued absently, “there’s a place that serves really good jook in Chinatown, I always go there when I’m sick. I could take you sometime?”

Of course, the only person Kirin would meet in this seven-mile city was the villain who kept crashing his tourist time. Kirin just gaped at him for a moment.

“Are you seriously hitting on me? What are we supposed to do, go out on a date with you still in costume? The paparazzi would be all over that. And I am not pulling a Spiderman to kiss anyone.”

“Uh, hadn’t thought about that.”

“Clearly,” Kirin sighed.

Cougar, who’d been a weightlifter before joining the Fed, lifted up a table full of books. One of the store employees complained about having to clean it up, and Kirin flinched in sympathy.

YP took it as fear. “Don’t worry,” he said, “I won’t lift you up over my head to proclaim my strength. You’re my favorite, you know. You’re always so calm, even when I do haul you over my shoulder. How’d you get that way?”

Kirin wondered what an appropriate answer was given their circumstances, so he just opted for the truth. It was almost always the best policy. “Runs in the family. Grandpa was an interpreter during the Iraq War.”

“Yikes, militarism, man. That’s how my family got here years ago, Great-great-great-gramps disarmed land mines for the army until three-times-great-grandma said enough and made him move here. Say, since we have some things in common… don’t you you wish the League and the Fed would unite forces.”

“Against what?” The topic change was strange, and it wasn’t as if aliens were going to descent and give the Fed and League a common enemy.

The squat was starting to get uncomfortable, so he placed his hand on YP’s shoulder. The fabric was supple but thin enough he felt YP twitch under him.

“Oh, you know.” YP waved vaguely. “Still,” he said considerately, “you are taking to the repeated kidnappings awful well.”

Of course Kirin was.  He knew the drill: villain showed up at the pre-set location, disrupted it somehow, kidnapped someone to heighten the stakes of all that, and in swooped the hero to save the city and the civilian.

It was why he was confused the SHF was letting him double dip, drawing both his pay as a rostered superhero, and compensation from the Supervillain fund for any civilians who were involved in a match between Supers.

Even with his face fully covered in black, YP’s gaze was still piercing and uncomfortable. Kirin needed to come up with something to throw him off the scent. The Fed forbid Supers on the roster to tell anyone outside of immediate family they were a Super.

Right as Kirin was about to lie and say he had an older sister who’d been in the League, YP asked, “You’re not a cape chaser, are you?”

“Positive,” Kirin said in relief.

Then Cougar vaulted over their table, and as YP and Kirin looked up, they got an eyeful of Cougar’s aqua-clad crotch.

Cougar skid to a halt in his blue leather boots and pointed a figure at the two of them. “I have you now, Yellow Peril! Give me the civilian and I’ll show you mercy!”

“That’s my cue!” YP said, pushing Kirin forward. “Do you mind hamming it up for the cameras? They love a damsel in distress.”

The cameraman was running to catch up with Cougar, despite their heavy gear.

Kirin was going to shoot YP a glare, but then YP somersaulted up to Cougar.

“Only if you can catch me!” he replied, flicking Cougar’s nose then dashing away.

* * *

The match ended a couple of minutes later, and the press closed in on Kirin. They were asking what it was like to be taken by YP yet _again_ , and was there anything Kirin wanted to tell the press about _why_ that was?

“He gives good sightseeing recommendations,” Kirin said curtly. He didn’t feel comfortable with the press, given he might have to one day answer questions suited up as the Gazelle.

Another mic was shoved into his face, and Kirin slapped it away. He turned around, but there was yet another mic.

“Can we anticipate a date?” the brunet asked.

“What?! Ugh, no, we’re done here!” And then Kirin turned to the Super liaison and motioned to get him out of there.

* * *

_** Love brewing?! ** _

_Rumors have long swirled about the SHF or LoV allowing this season’s Supers to have a romance. Rumors began when the Korean Super league began streaming in the US this spring, and sponsors wondered whether the US Super league would lose its relevance. And what better way to boost ratings than a romance? We here at_ Cape Cadets _are all atwitter over it, especially since YP’s been giving all of his attention to one man only. Could we finally be seeing a romance?! Send us your suggestions on what to call this possible ship, and you could be featured in our next issue!_

* * *

_ Four months later and numerous kidnappings later… _

For all that the rotations the SHF had put Kirin on, he hadn’t encountered YP while suited up as the Gazelle. Kirin’d been paired with other minor Supers, the SHF likely getting a feel for how he played. They probably assumed he wasn’t sophisticated enough for the city.

But here he was, finally alongside a major player like Steel Titan since his usual sidekick and three other backups had all caught mono from sharing a beer. If Kirin did good here, he could be promoted to a permanent sidekick to a major. And a couple of years work doing that, he could make it to being a lead hero as well.

Steel Titan was of course, dressed in silver and black. They’d originally given him an a silver costume, but then all of his press was on his chrome colored crotch, and Bill (his real name) didn’t appreciate it. This iteration had silver boots, a silver mask, and silver stitching on his otherwise black outfit. It somehow only made him look more muscular.

As he and Kirin arrived at Ghiradelli Square, there was YP. He was sitting atop a large pile of chocolate, legs crossed and whistling as he slowly peeled a square of salted caramel from the nearby chocolate shop of the same name.

In the ensuing skirmish to liberate the chocolate for the waiting tourists, it was jarring to act like he didn’t know YP at all, not be snarky and fall into the easy pattern of arguing with him. Still, it was beautiful in its own way to watch YP in action without having to hide behind him. People came from all sorts of backgrounds before joining the Supers. Steel Titan had been a wrestler, and it’s clear that YP had some kind of gymnastics background. He back flipped and twisted in ways that made Kirin’s knees ache just seeing them.

Still, Kirin couldn’t help himself. Once YP had Steel Titan locked inside of the Ghiradelli storefront and was blowing kisses at him, Kirin spoke up.

“The tabloids will be so disappointed you’re not saving your kisses.”

YP turned to look at him, considering him.

“No hostages this time?” Kirin continued.

YP took a quick glance at Steel Titan, who was preparing to break the door down with brute force. The door’s hinges had been loosened in advance, but the audience didn’t need to know that.

“No,” YP replied, his voice surprisingly thick. “My favorite isn’t here, unfortunately. I might try and catch him at the Pier 35 coral reef though. He mentioned that.” The smile on his face was surprisingly wistful.

“Is it true what the papers say, then?”

He snorted. “Is it true the Feds don’t let rookies like you talk until you’ve been there a year?”

“Ah…” A quick look at Steel Titan showed he’d raised an eyebrow in question. It wasn’t that Steel Titan didn’t want him to speak, more that they both knew the rules.

Kirin raised his hand in apology and stepped back.

Right on time, Steel Titan burst through the door.

“Yellow Peril!” he boomed. “Stop distracting my apprentice!”

“Apprentice? Is that what they’re calling it these days?” YP quipped. He aimed his next statement at Kirin. “You know the League doesn’t have a gag order on their rookies, and you can make your way up the ranks a lot faster.”

Steel Titan began his monologue as if Kirin had never stepped out of script. The helicopter crew swiveled their spotlights onto him.

The effect was lessened though, as YP began sneezing mid-way. It placed him in the awkward position of reaching into his pockets for tissue to wipe up the snot under his mask.

Luckily, Steel Titan was a consummate performer. “Ha!” he cried. “Of course the League would make you show up to the job sick!  Come to the Feds’ side, Yellow Peril! We would never do that to you, just renounce your ways and King Kaiser health care could be yours too! It’s… super!”

Kirin knew the website for King Kaiser would be flashing over viewer’s screens now; they were one of this season’s major sponsors.

YP merely shook his head, stuffing the crumpled tissue back into the pocket at his waist. “Quit stalling for time, Steel Titan! Come, let us duel so I can defeat you all the quicker!”

They resumed their fighting, and Kirin assisted in making sure the debris (mostly chocolate) didn’t hit any of the tourists snapping photos and videos. He even got to toss Steel Titan the oversized rolling pin to knock down YP’s chocolate throne.

It was an easy fight after that. With the candies all over the ground, it wasn’t safe for YP to do any acrobatics. So Steel Titan was able to pummel away at YP with kicks and punches. YP’s specialty always seemed to be in his agility, although Kirin had seen some of his original promo clips where he was just as capable of knocking someone else out. Marketing likely; YP had debuted the same time as White Tiger, and she’d trained as a martial artist.

Steel Titan pointed the rolling pin at YP, now fallen on the cold concrete. “Give it up, Yellow Peril!”

“Really Bill, like I would.”

The audience let out a gasp.  While Supers’ names weren’t public knowledge, Supers often did run into each other at the chiropractor or tailor. The less-identifiable names like Bill’s (and not Kirin’s) were used for trash talking. Following his cue, Steel Titan let out a roar and charged YP. YP used the opportunity to vault over his back with one hand.

YP waved into the camera and then unclipped something from his belt and disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

Kirin saw though, that he’d used a grapple hook to get onto the roof and was leisurely walking away.

Once the smoke cleared, the press mobbed in. Thankfully, when suited up, Kirin didn’t have to answer any questions, and he just let Steel Titan take the brunt.

As he waited for Steel Titan to finish charming the reporters, Kirin hoped YP didn’t have any other scheduled appearances and could go home. All that backflipping couldn’t be good for his sinuses.

* * *

YP’d made another appearance in Russian Hill despite his running nose. The alert had popped up on Kirin’s phone on his way home. Already in civilian clothes, he made a detour, dropping by the hole in the wall YP had told him about.

Kirin hated the gossip rags, but they were good for something for once. YP was on the rooftop of one of the old banks overlooking the towering Salesforce building in the Market District. The site hadn’t said _exactly_ where he was; the sites were good at hiding info like that to generate speculation. But Kirin recognized the photo. It was near one of the bubble tea places YP had recommended as they tried not to fall into Claude’s pit at the Academy of Science. Kirin had since made a number of visits and had almost filled-up his frequent buyer punch-card.

A couple of other people had figured out YP’s location too. There were a couple of other fans trying to climb up the fire escape, but a black man with a septum piercing and dressed in a navy suit held them off.

The man recognized Kirin though. “ _ Oh,”  _ he said. “You go right on through.”

The mixed crowd turned to look at him, demanding why he got to go through, and then quickly recognized him from the tabloids and his curt post-kidnapping interviews as well.

“ _No fucking way!”_ the girl with bangs and a buzzed head exclaimed.

The man in short-shorts despite the SF weather whipped out his camera.

The guard said shortly, “ _No_ _cameras_.”

The man tried to hide the camera conspicuously behind his coat, and the bodyguard sighed. Kirin knew the bodyguard was going to confiscate it, so he merely said, “Thanks man,” and climbed up with his takeout bag.

The building was only two stories, but it was up on a hill that gave a beautiful view of the city. The sunset turned the fog into the color of creamsicle cotton candy, and the buildings shimmered like some kind of dewy mirage. Would his hometown one day look like this, but with smog instead?

And there was YP, sitting on the ledge of the building, still in uniform, staring out at it all. It felt rare to see him still, quiet.

But he was here, and so was Kirin. So, no going back.

Kirin stepped across the roof, his sneakers so worn from walking around the city that the gravel was slippery under its tread.

“Hey,” Kirin said, setting the compostable takeout bag next to YP.

“Ugh, Henry, I told you… Oh, it’s you,” YP said as he cocked his head. And it was hard to tell with a mask on his face, but he seemed genuinely surprised. His bodyguard must not have let people up very often, like any good security.

“Yeah.” Kirin felt awkward, wondering if he was coming off as a groupie.

“What are you doing here?” YP hurriedly added, “Not that I’m _not_ glad you’re here, but you’ve kept a surprisingly low profile despite my broadcasting where I am.”

“What?”

“Uh… nothing. Just saying you haven’t found me before, so why are you here now?”

Kirin shrugged. “Saw you were sick. It didn’t seem fair for you to put in whole day of work when you’re sick.”

“Oh, no, the League didn’t require it, more like… I thought it’d go away if I ignored it?”

“Ah, you’re one of those.” Kirin stuck his hands in his jean pockets and nudged the food towards YP. “I hear the jook off of Jackson is good for that.”

“Oh! Did you go after all?”

“Yeah. I wasn’t sure what toppings to get, so I told the waitress to just put ‘em all on. She shoved the bag at me along with the other stuff in there.”

YP turned away from the cityscape to face Kirin, who was still standing. He cut open the bag with a small pocketknife hidden in his costume, and steam curled in the air.

He sighed happily. As he began to take the bowl out, he asked Kirin if he wanted any. “You only brought the one order,” YP insisted. “And you can’t eat it once I try it. Germs and all. Since you’re new, the germs’ll probably knock you out.”

“Central Valley isn’t _that_ far,” he grumbled. But he sat cross-legged and looked at the plain looking soup.

YP threw the toppings in along with some of the soy sauce, then stirred. He held the spoon out to Kirin.

Kirin took a bite. Salty. The rice really had no texture, but the slight bite of the paper-thin noodles and the firm egg were nice.

“It’s okay,” he said.

“You’ll have to order a second one next time,” YP said.

And although Kirin wasn’t sure what he was doing here, it was still his feet that’d led him here. And maybe that was a decision in and of itself.

He handed the bowl and spoon back to YP. “Okay,” he said, not sure what he was doing or where this could go. Dating between League and Fed was unheard of.

YP almost dropped the jook. “That sounds good,” he replied.

Later, there would be magazine spreads about Kirin’s thighs ( _this Gazelle’s got legs!)_ , late-night talk show interviews about YP’s Villain of the Year Award, endless speculation about their Summer Gala appearance, and even a book.  Each of them would claim _they_ knew where the YP and the Gazelle’s love story began.  But it was here. The Gazelle and Yellow Peril side by side beneath the rising skyscrapers cloaked in mist.  Kirin and John with a bowl of hot jook between them, thinking this could be something more.

* * *

_** Rumors confirmed?! ** _

_ While drone coverage by the press of Supers is banned (FTC if you’re reading, we promise we didn’t break the rules!), a citizen taking a rooftop smoke break was flying his drone and captured an image of YP’s favorite civilian giving him something. Soup for the sick Supervillain?? Our source reported whatever it was, it smelled good. _

_ What reason could there be other than the long awaited romance we’d previously reported? We San Franciscans have always Prided ourselves on being ahead of the times, and we are thrilled to be on the cutting edge in Super entertainment! _

_Tell us your thoughts on this scintillating development and how long you think it’ll take for them to make it official! The winner will receive a year’s free subscription to_ Cape Cadets _and a swag bag consisting of…_

**Author's Note:**

> Some notes about the worldbuilding and jokes for those not familiar with San Francisco:  
> 
> 
> * The joke about “Yellow Peril” and “Black Panther” is a play on the 1960s poster reading “Yellow Peril supports Black Power.” It’s also an oblique reference to the Black Panther Party’s history in Oakland.
> 
> * The discussion of ethnic studies was inspired by [the now-vetoed AB 2772](http://www.dailycal.org/2018/10/08/gov-jerry-brown-vetoes-bill-regarding-ethnic-studies-as-high-school-graduation-requirement).
> 
> * The use of a gossip blog/magazine is inspired by Sarah Kuhn’s Heroine Worship series, which is also set in SF.
> 
> * Space Cadets being “atwitter” is a reference to Twitter, who has a HQ in the Bay Area.
> 
> * SF is currently [looking for ideas on how to renovate their underused piers](https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/Ideas-to-redevelop-piers-flow-in-to-port-13438161.php), Pier 35 included! 
> 
> * The Piers are not currently underwater, but [are at risk of flooding if sea levels rise](http://www.adaptingtorisingtides.org/project/regional-sea-level-rise-mapping-and-shoreline-analysis/), thus the idea of a coral reef. (*hand waves at the science of coral reefs in SF*)
> 
> * Ghiradelli Square is [in the midst of a revival](https://www.sfchronicle.com/business/article/SF-s-historic-Ghirardelli-Square-nearly-full-13546118.php). Who knows what it’ll look like in the future!
> 
> * King Kaiser is a reference to Kaiser Permanente, a major health care provider in California.
> 
> * John is named after John Cho, in honor of his [Thirst Aid Kit episode](https://thirstaidkitpodcast.tumblr.com/post/167309736275/john-cho-for-president-by-thirst-aid-kit).
> 
> * The Pride joke is not just because SF has a huge Pride Parade, but because of its [decision to issue same-sex marriage licenses in 2004](https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/THE-BATTLE-OVER-SAME-SEX-MARRIAGE-Uncharted-2823315.php).
> 
> * Once Kirin is promoted in the SHF, he’s named Golden Gazelle. Shippers debate what to call Yellow Peril and the Gazelle: YellowGazelle or GoldenPeril. They ultimately get called Y2K, because Yellow2 broke the Internet when it was revealed YP’s civilian boyfriend was actually Golden Gazelle.


End file.
